New manager fires on-site team member and orders remote worker to work on-site instead: 'I said no'

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Brad Dickson • Managing Editor
May 1, 2024 10:00 AM EDT

Being the longest-standing member of your workgroup usually means that you have memories of how things "used" to be… Possessing memories of the "before times" that probably stretch back long before even your manager worked here. The problem with this is organizations almost always trend in a negative direction when it comes to working conditions and benefits for workers; after all, there are only two ways to maximize profit, and cutting costs is far easier than increasing revenue generation. As a result, you'll remember when things used to be better: When your team had more staff, was less overworked, and when you could actually take time off and generally enjoyed working there. New workers joining without the knowledge of how things used to be just accept the new worse conditions, further solidifying the new policies. 

That's sort of what this remote worker witnessed happening in a more rapid fashion as their team that once had five to seven members working on site dwindled down to just two other on-site members on the team, leaving the final remaining members overworked and burned out. Luckily, the remote worker managed to remain somewhat isolated from the increasing workload demands that their on-site team members had been experiencing since it was physically impossible for them to pick up that work. Enter a new manager who foolishly misread this situation, firing one of the two remaining stressed workers on-site, with their solution being that the remote worker should be a "team player" and work on-site instead.

The frustrated worker shared their experience with this popular online workplace community, detailing their experience and feelings. Readers shared their thoughts in the comments and offered their advice.

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  • 01
    A "New manager demanded I come into the office and I said 'No,' and [he] is now treating me poorly."
    via Rivage
  • 02
    New manager demanded I come into the office and I said No and is now treating me poorly. I work for a very small clinic and have been there for 2 years. My department underwent a lot of stressful changes that resulted in only me and 2 others down from 5-7 people at any time. We were without a direct manager for 5 months and the 2 in-office individuals were overwhelmed and undertrained.
    via u/iamjanesnipple
  • 03
    We finally got a new manager hired and they immediately fired one of the 2 in-person people. Which made sense because they basically stopped working and now we are left cleaning up their mess as well. However they did so without even getting all the required information about their work and are now lost and confused on top of all the other chaos. My job has virtually remained the same with only small increases in work load as my job requirements vary from those in office. I am getting my work do
    via u/iamjanesnipple
  • 04
    I had told the HR and owners for months they have needed to hire at LEAST 2 more people when it was 3 of us, and now we are down to 2 and the new manager. I met the new manager online a couple days ago and they were all, "Just because I'm the manager doesn't mean I think I'm above anyone else, and we're all a team." But the next morning they call me and demand that I start coming into the office two days a week to help with in-person tasks. Didn't ask me. Demanded it. I politely explained
    via u/iamjanesnipple
  • 05
    that I have been remote this entire time, was hired on as remote, and have no intention of changing that. Then they followed it up with "Well as your manager, I'm requiring you to come in." I told them that doesn't work for me and they got curt with me and hung up. Today we had a meeting online with the owner and this person was 00 extremely dismissive of me but in that eating grin kind of way and was hinting to the owner about me "not being a team player."
    via u/iamjanesnipple
  • 06
    I'm the only person who has stayed with the department in spite of all the stress and transitions and this person came at me very disrespectful and inconsiderate of me. I understand they just want to throw their weight around but I'm now worried about our ability to work amicably going forward. Does anyone here have a manager that treats them poorly? Do you just get used to it and ignore it?
    via u/iamjanesnipple
  • 07
    SheiB123 7 hr. ago Start looking for another job. This WILL NOT improve. 624 Reply Share . . . iamjanesnipple OP. 7 hr. ago Thank you. I have started looking. Fully remote seems hard to come by. 240 Reply Share • SheiB123 7 hr. ago They are out there but hard to find. Good luck! 74 Reply Share
    via u/iamjanesnipple
  • 08
    GTS_84 8 hr. ago • I'm sorry, this is a real position. You have three options. 1. Put up with it. 2. Leave 3. Push back. holes like this will not just give up on their own. If they are and dismissive and trying to force a change
    via u/iamjanesnipple
  • 09
    in your working conditions that's a bad sign. If you push back, insist they don't speak to you dismissively they might change. More likely you complain to HR and maybe they or owners put their foot down. Going to HR because they tried to unilaterally change the material conditions of your employment is an option. Just send something
    via u/iamjanesnipple
  • 10
    to HR (and bcc your personal email) about how you were hired as worked from home and will not be working in the office under any circumstances, and you've already spoken to your manager but just want to affirm in writing with them that you are not willing to change this aspect of your employment. Don't even complain about the manager, just affirm your current working conditions.
    via u/iamjanesnipple
  • 11
    While HR is on the companies side, not yours, two factors are in your favour here. 1. they are new, If there are problems it's much easier for them to toss them now than in a few months, so they will be more receptive.
    via u/iamjanesnipple
  • 12
    2. They made a decision that could have impacted their unemployment insurance rate. Normally if you quit you can't file for unemployment, but if you quit because your employer changed your work in certain ways, including changing you from work from home to in office, that is considered
    via u/iamjanesnipple
  • 13
    "Constructive Dismissal" which means you would be able to file for unemployment which means their rates would go up. HR and owners generally doesn't like when managers expose them to like this unilaterally. One big factor working against you is that they literally value this person more than you. I would assume they are paying this person more. So keep that in mind.
    via u/iamjanesnipple
  • 14
    A benefit of going to HR now is that if this person is a real and not just a bit of an hole it starts a record if they escalate. ↑ 63 Reply Share
    via u/iamjanesnipple
  • 15
    Agent-c1983 8 hr. ago "My employment contract. with you is a remote worker. If you would like to renegotiate my contract, I'm up for that. How much do you plan on increasing my salary?" 379 Reply Share
    via u/iamjanesnipple
  • 16
    Sufficient-Meet6127 7 hr. ago • First job out of college, I had a ramanager who was mad that he was depended on me to be successful. Basically, no one else could do what I was doing for the team. I overheard him complaining that he hates having to be nice to me. He got fired a few months after I resigned... 31 Reply Share
    via u/iamjanesnipple
  • 17
    • chestercopperpot79 · 8 hr. ago Look for something else they will make your life miserable until you do 41 Reply Share iamjanesnipple OP. 7 hr. ago Thank you. I have begun looking. ↑ 19 Reply Share
    via u/iamjanesnipple
  • 18
    dsdvbguutres 6 hr. ago You nailed it on the head. New manager flexing muscles. Trying to make changes without first understanding how things work. Starting with fixing things that need to be fixed the least. 14 Reply Share
    via u/iamjanesnipple
  • 19
    • SuperDan523 · 4 hr. ago I second the comments to start looking for a new job asap. I also want to say do NOT give in and come to work in person. It's one thing to negotiate something like salary or working hours, but NEVER give up a condition. Once you sacrifice a condition it's near impossible to get back. 10 Reply Share • • •
    via u/iamjanesnipple
  • 20
    • ShakespearOnIce 7 hr. ago "If you feel my performance isn't up to standard, feel free to fire me. Until then I'm going to continue working as I have up unyil this point. You can consult the records left by the previous manager if you need a frame of reference for whether my performance is changing." 30 Reply Share
    via u/iamjanesnipple
  • 21
    iamjanesnipple OP. 7 hr. ago Thank you. My manager isn't in charge of my employment thankfully. As our office is very small, the HR person and I are very close and they know how hard I work. This new person doesn't know me or my work ethic at all and is just that I didn't submit to their demands. I don't think I'll be fired but I do anticipate this individual trying to thwart my efforts to continue good work. 28 Reply Share
    via u/iamjanesnipple

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